After serving a 10-game, NHL-imposed suspension — including the first five contests in the regular season — Flyers left winger/enforcer Jody Shelley is eager to return to the lineup.

“I’m excited. My time is served,” Shelley said.

Coach Peter Laviolette, however, will probably use Andreas Nodl over Shelley in Thursday’s game against visiting Washington (5-0).

Still, Shelley is just glad he is now eligible to play.

“It’s a lonely thing when you’re here but you know you’re not playing,” Shelley said. “It’s a definite and you’re just kind of trying to stay in shape and stay sharp.”

Added Shelley: “Like any punishment, even when I was five years old, you remember from it, you learn and you come back better.”

Feisty winger Zac Rinaldo, who was sent back to the Phantoms on Wednesday, did an admirable job as Shelley’s replacement. But Rinaldo, at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, can’t challenge the heavyweights. Shelley (6-3, 230 pounds) can.

“He’s great. He’s a great skater,” Shelley said of Rinaldo. “He stayed disciplined. He did his job perfect. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

Shelley, 35, said enforcers have a fine line to walk.

“The game has changed three times since I started and you have to adapt,” he said.

Shelley, one of the most respected players in the Flyers’ locker room, conceded he never feels as if his position is secure.

“I always have to prove myself,” he said. “That’s how my career has been. Fourth-line left winger, there’s always someone coming after to get your job and you have to prove yourself. The situation is how it is and today is today. That’s all you worry about.”

Breakaways. Look for defenseman Andreas Lilja to return to the lineup in place of penalty-prone Matt Walker. ... Shelley was suspended for his boarding hit on Toronto’s Darryl Boyce in a preseason game.

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